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Authors: Teresa McCarthy
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anger in her veins.
"Nigel,
sweeting. Can you hear me?"
A strong
wind rustled eerily through the trees, and a small whimper of pain reached her
ears. Emily halted. Fear for the dog soon replaced any apprehension for her
book. She swallowed and moved forward, her gown snagging on the tangled vines.
"Nigel,
sweeting, are you hurt?" Another whimper. "Keep calm, Nigel. Emily
will save you." She bit her lip, fought back a wave of hot tears, and
hastened forward. Dear heaven, let the poor thing be safe. If anything happened
to Nigel because of her, she would never forgive herself.
Chapter Four
"I tell you, Jared, I am more than
worried." Agatha sank her plump body into the sofa of Hemmingly's drawing
room, letting out a troubled frown. "That sweet girl has not been seen all
afternoon."
Jared
threw a booted foot onto the hearth, shoving a hand into the pocket of his
coat, trying to ignore the alarm that rippled through him. "When did you
see her last?"
Agatha
rested her parasol against her gown, wincing as a clap of thunder hit the room.
"Not since she came home from the vicarage with Jane."
"Jane
is with her, then?"
"No,
Jane went directly to her room with a headache." Agatha sniffed and pulled
out a handkerchief. "This is not like Emily, not like her at all."
Jared
placed his hands across the fire and let out a deep sigh. The thought that he
might have been the cause of Emily's disappearance made him ill. Still, there
was the possibility that the raven-haired beauty had left the grounds of
Hemmingly with one of her suitors, escaping the notice of his aides. The very
idea made Jared furious.
Were his
aides watching the roads in the village, or had they left their posts?
With a
grimace, Jared tilted his head toward the window, watching as an eerie blanket
of leaden gray rolled across the sky. He shifted his gaze back to Agatha's wary
face and frowned. His mind frantically went over the places Emily could be.
"Jared?
What have you done?"
His head
snapped up. "Nothing." Nothing but break a poor girl's heart.
"Oh
ho, do not lie to me. You look like you just poked your finger in Cook's plum
pudding."
Jared
avoided Agatha's intense gaze and picked up a crystal decanter on the nearby
table, pouring himself a small brandy.
Could
Emily have slipped through the woods? A meeting perhaps? The notion of a
rendezvous with Emily and some stranger suddenly began to gain momentum in his
mind like a carriage careening out of control.
Were
Roderick's assumptions correct? Could that Fennington fellow have had the
audacity to follow Emily to Hemmingly and whisk her away to Gretna Green under
his very nose?
Jared's
grip on his glass tightened. If that were the case, he would find the couple
and shackle Emily to her chambers, then proceed to thrash Fennington and every
one of his aides who left their post.
"Jared,
are you listening to me at all?"
"Indeed.
I intend to look for her, Agatha. But I am not setting out on a wild-goose
chase either."
"Goodness,
do you think she was abducted?"
The
disturbing thought of Monsieur Devereaux came to mind, and Jared's blood froze.
Devil take it, he could no longer wait for his people to report to him. He had
to go search for Emily himself.
"Has
Lady Emily been seeing anybody?" he asked in a sharper voice than
intended. "In the years I was not here, perhaps."
Agatha's
head shot up in outrage. "Gracious, how can you dare suggest such a vile
thing?"
"I
am not suggesting," he said in a calmer tone. "I am merely pointing
out the fact that there may be other reasons she is not here."
"I
tell you, this is not like Emily." Agatha's bottom lip trembled, and sweat
began to bead along her brow. "And do you know, last week the groom told
me a wolf has been hunting the grounds near the village?"
Worry
for Agatha's health made Jared hesitate to leave. "There are no wolves in
this vicinity, Agatha. I assure you."
Her eyes
blinked back tears. "You have no idea if our poor Emily is lost or
"Nigel,
sweeting. Can you hear me?"
A strong
wind rustled eerily through the trees, and a small whimper of pain reached her
ears. Emily halted. Fear for the dog soon replaced any apprehension for her
book. She swallowed and moved forward, her gown snagging on the tangled vines.
"Nigel,
sweeting, are you hurt?" Another whimper. "Keep calm, Nigel. Emily
will save you." She bit her lip, fought back a wave of hot tears, and
hastened forward. Dear heaven, let the poor thing be safe. If anything happened
to Nigel because of her, she would never forgive herself.
Chapter Four
"I tell you, Jared, I am more than
worried." Agatha sank her plump body into the sofa of Hemmingly's drawing
room, letting out a troubled frown. "That sweet girl has not been seen all
afternoon."
Jared
threw a booted foot onto the hearth, shoving a hand into the pocket of his
coat, trying to ignore the alarm that rippled through him. "When did you
see her last?"
Agatha
rested her parasol against her gown, wincing as a clap of thunder hit the room.
"Not since she came home from the vicarage with Jane."
"Jane
is with her, then?"
"No,
Jane went directly to her room with a headache." Agatha sniffed and pulled
out a handkerchief. "This is not like Emily, not like her at all."
Jared
placed his hands across the fire and let out a deep sigh. The thought that he
might have been the cause of Emily's disappearance made him ill. Still, there
was the possibility that the raven-haired beauty had left the grounds of
Hemmingly with one of her suitors, escaping the notice of his aides. The very
idea made Jared furious.
Were his
aides watching the roads in the village, or had they left their posts?
With a
grimace, Jared tilted his head toward the window, watching as an eerie blanket
of leaden gray rolled across the sky. He shifted his gaze back to Agatha's wary
face and frowned. His mind frantically went over the places Emily could be.
"Jared?
What have you done?"
His head
snapped up. "Nothing." Nothing but break a poor girl's heart.
"Oh
ho, do not lie to me. You look like you just poked your finger in Cook's plum
pudding."
Jared
avoided Agatha's intense gaze and picked up a crystal decanter on the nearby
table, pouring himself a small brandy.
Could
Emily have slipped through the woods? A meeting perhaps? The notion of a
rendezvous with Emily and some stranger suddenly began to gain momentum in his
mind like a carriage careening out of control.
Were
Roderick's assumptions correct? Could that Fennington fellow have had the
audacity to follow Emily to Hemmingly and whisk her away to Gretna Green under
his very nose?
Jared's
grip on his glass tightened. If that were the case, he would find the couple
and shackle Emily to her chambers, then proceed to thrash Fennington and every
one of his aides who left their post.
"Jared,
are you listening to me at all?"
"Indeed.
I intend to look for her, Agatha. But I am not setting out on a wild-goose
chase either."
"Goodness,
do you think she was abducted?"
The
disturbing thought of Monsieur Devereaux came to mind, and Jared's blood froze.
Devil take it, he could no longer wait for his people to report to him. He had
to go search for Emily himself.
"Has
Lady Emily been seeing anybody?" he asked in a sharper voice than
intended. "In the years I was not here, perhaps."
Agatha's
head shot up in outrage. "Gracious, how can you dare suggest such a vile
thing?"
"I
am not suggesting," he said in a calmer tone. "I am merely pointing
out the fact that there may be other reasons she is not here."
"I
tell you, this is not like Emily." Agatha's bottom lip trembled, and sweat
began to bead along her brow. "And do you know, last week the groom told
me a wolf has been hunting the grounds near the village?"
Worry
for Agatha's health made Jared hesitate to leave. "There are no wolves in
this vicinity, Agatha. I assure you."
Her eyes
blinked back tears. "You have no idea if our poor Emily is lost or
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